Cerulean Gypsy: A Winner -Dejon Weldon

Congratulations to Dejon Weldon for winning the People's Choice Award for the February HawkMan Studios Conditions of the Heart Show.

Dejon used plexi-glass and paints in reverse to create her pieces. Guests during the show at Vintage in Redding, CA were in love with her piece. I found it to be fresh, expressive and tons of fun. Here is an interview I had with Dejon and a pictorial of her process.

Tell us a little about your process?
I have to plan out the image almost entirely before I start painting, including when to lay down lines and blocks of color. My process for painting on plexi is pretty much all backwards! To make the process less complicated I stick to using one color at a time. For example I would lay down all the black first, then all the white, then all the blue etc. allowing for drying time in between. Whatever I pain

t first can’t be covered up and is generally the focus of the painting. By the time I’m done with the painting it shows thru from the back side of the plexi glass.

Where did the idea come from to paint on plexi glass?
I started a cityscape painting of Paris on canvas and it just wasn’t coming out how I wanted. On a whim I got the idea to paint on the glass portion of a picture frame I had around the house. The final product didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted because the paints I used weren’t made for painting on glass. I tried one last time painting the image, choosing to work on plexi knowing it was plastic and should adhere to the paint and voila!

If you were to replace a famous figure in a famous painting what would it be and why?
I wouldn’t replace a figure in a famous painting, its not my style.

What was your first AHA moment about art?
When it comes to art I’ve had quite a few “AHA moments” and hope to have many more! I think my first true “AHA moment” was when I received my first set of acrylic paints. My most recent “AHA moment” has been the versatility of working with plexi glass.

What is your guilty art pleasure?
After thinking about this question for awhile I’ve realized my guilty art pleasure is seeing my pieces displayed. It doesn’t matter to me if they are in a private residence or public institution I just like the opportunity to see them up, I know it’s a little narcissistic.

What is on your coffee table right now?
There is nothing on my coffee table, but there are things IN my coffee table. It’s a shadow box. I like the option to change out the items inside, kind of like a mini show. Right now I have objects I collected from Venice like: glass candy, lace, cameo’s a national geographic in Italian and a carnival mask.